In the early prelims of UFC 284, promotional debutant Alves Brenner, who was the biggest underdog on the fight card, knocked out Chechnya veteran Zubaira Tukhugov in a controversial split decision victory.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the 25-year-old Brazilian was a +470 underdog for a match-up against Tukhugov, who was pegged as a -625 favorite.
Judges Derek Cleary and Evan Field scored the three rounds in favor of Berner, while Barry Foley saw the match score 29–28 in favor of Tukhugov. Interestingly, Field scored all three rounds in favor of the 25-year-old.
However, it’s safe to say that the official decision is the exact opposite of popular opinion. MMA publications including Sherdog scored the contest as 29–28 for Chechen.
Alves Brenner currently holds a Pro-MMA record of 14-3. Prior to joining the premier MMA promotion, the lightweight prospect wrestled under promotions such as the Professional Fighters League (PFL), Amazon Talent, Future FC, and the Mr. Cage Championship.
The youngster is a partner of former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.
Zubaira Tukhugov, a longtime UFC veteran who has been with the American promotion since 2014, amasses a promotional record of 5-3-1. His overall MMA record is a respectable 20-6.
The controversial decision sent fans and fighters into a frenzy and many expressed their disappointment on social media
UFC fans react to Alves Brenner’s controversial win
It’s fair to say that Alves Brenner’s split decision victory over Zubaira Tukhugov has not been well received by the MMA fandom. Many in the MMA community feel that Chechen was unfairly denied a victory at UFC 284.
Let’s take a look at some of the interesting Twitter reactions to the verdict.
In a humorous post, Twitter user Alexander Havas suggested that the bout was probably rigged in favor of the Brazilian:
“Probably just another stupid/ignorant/incompetent judge right? 😂. Brenner vs Tukhugov. #UFC284 #NotRigged.”